Body found on Mt. Ogden identified as missing Weber State student

OGDEN — The body of a man found on Mt. Ogden was identified Friday as Juan Pablo Brant by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office.

Brant, 27, was a student at Weber State University who was reported missing by a friend on Jan. 14. He was last seen on Jan. 4 at a Wells Fargo Bank in Ogden.

According to the Weber State Police, Brant had been known to leave his area of residence for several days at a time. Brant liked to frequent the foothills and trails of Mt. Ogden, where he would hike and camp for days.

Brant's roommate called campus police when he hadn't come home in more than a week.

"When they learned of this, they left no stone unturned in canvassing the area in any place he might have been," said Weber State spokeswoman Allison Barlow Hess.

Members of the Snow Basin Ski Patrol located the body on Wednesday toward the very top of Mt. Ogden while they were doing a routine check. The Weber County Sheriff's Office said the victim was not dressed appropriately for the weather, wearing a light sweater, Levis, and loafer-type shoes.

"He was just a very kind-hearted, likeable person ... Juan just really was at the heart of Weber State University. Absolutely everyone &mdash; from student leaders, to faculty, teachers &mdash; everyone knew him."

Brant is believed to have gone up between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10 and may have been caught in a winter storm, Hess said. After the storm that rolled in on Jan. 10, officials don't believe Brant could have trekked as high as he was.

It is still unknown how long Brant may have been there before his body was found, or exactly what caused his death.

"We mourn every tragedy, but at least we hope this provides some closure for his family," Hess said.

Hess said Brant's family is all out of state as he was raised in California and Washington state. Brant was working toward a bachelor of Integrated Studies, which allows a student to pick three areas of emphasis.

Joshua Hunt, who became friends with Brant during their time in the ROTC Army program at WSU, said Brant made friends easily and his classmates loved him.

"He was just a very kind-hearted, likeable person," he said. "Juan just really was at the heart of Weber State University. Absolutely everyone — from student leaders, to faculty, teachers — everyone knew him."

There was no indication of foul play and no sign of suspicious activity has been identified. An investigation is still underway and more information will be posted as it becomes available.